Santorum to Mother of Cancer Survivor: Sick to Blame for Pre-Existing Conditions Should Be Charged

[PA Democrat]

131. Santorum also claims that after he lost his Senate seat he had to buy insurance for his family

on the open market.

Something smells really fishy about that claim. Even if he were able to find a company that would issue a policy to a family with a child with a very serious health problem, they would not cover any treatment for at least a YEAR. Remember this was prior to the HCR bill's restriction on pre-existing condition limits for children.

Timeline:

Jan 2007- Santorum leaves the Senate after losing his reelection bid to Bob Casey
Jul 2008- Santorum loses COBRA coverage


So how do you buy an individual policy in July 2008 (this is pre-HCR) to cover a family with a child with a fatal disease? If you are lucky enough to get coverage, and lucky enough to be able to afford the premiums, the fact is that the policy would not cover treatment for the pre-existing condition for at least a year.

The only way around it would be if Santorum were able to buy into a group plan through a business of his own or through another employer. But the way Santorum explained it in the article below, it sounded like they were shopping for an individual policy.

http://www.onepennysheet.com/2011/12/rick-santorum-defends-health-insurance-companies/

“We have a child who has a pre-existing condition and we went out and we said, we like this plan,” Santorum said, according to ThinkProgress. “We have to pay more because she has a pre-existing condition. Well, we should pay more. She’s going to be very expensive to the insurance company and, you know, that cost is passed along to us… I’m okay with that.”

It doesn't ring true, although maybe if your name is Rick Santorum and you are a paid mouthpiece for the health insurance industry, you can get a "special" deal.